MS Faces Discrimination Suit

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MS Faces Discrimination Suit

WASHINGTON – Seven current and former Microsoft employees are planning to sue the computer software maker for discrimination, citing racial bias, the plaintiffs' lawyers said.

The suit, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday, asks for $5 billion, the lawyers said in a statement. This is the second bias suit against the Redmond, Wash.-based company (MSFT) in the past three months.

The plaintiffs include four employees based in Washington D.C. and three more in Washington state. The complaint alleges discrimination in evaluations, compensation and promotions, as well as wrongful termination and retaliation.

Microsoft's last notable case in the Washington federal court was the antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department and several states in which District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ordered the company split in two. That case is under appeal.

Microsoft spokesman Dean Katz said Tuesday that he had not seen the lawsuit, but that his company was committed to diversity.

"Microsoft does not tolerate discrimination in any of its employment practices, and we are committed to treating all of our employees fairly," Katz said. "We take these kinds of issues very seriously."

Katz said blacks make up 2.7 percent of Microsoft's domestic work force, but all minorities comprise 22.7 percent of the company's workers, he said.

"We're pleased with the progress we've made in increasing the number of minorities working at Microsoft. That said, there are still a number of things we can do to stimulate interest among minorities in the technical fields," he said, citing the nearly $100 million in grants Microsoft has given to organizations to stimulate interest in tech jobs among women and minorities.

The firm of Willie E. Gary, the Florida lawyer who brought the suit, did not return a call seeking details Tuesday.

In October, a lawyer representing a black female plaintiff filed a suit against Microsoft claiming racial and gender bias. That suit, which also requested an injunction against further discrimination by Microsoft, is still pending and is seeking class-action status.